Ranking Every WWE Title Match At WrestleMania Worst To Best

12. WrestleMania 23 - John Cena Vs. Shawn Michaels

John Cena Shawn Michaels wrestlemania
WWE.com

While the Undertaker defeated Batista to become the new World Heavyweight Champion in an excellent bout earlier in the night, John Cena and Shawn Michaels put on their own impressive match for Cena's WWE Title in the main event of WrestleMania 23.

What marks Cena vs. Michaels out as a particularly great slice of pro wrestling entertainment, is how the pair managed to make you believe the Heartbreak Kid might actually get the win despite it being utterly predictable that Cena would be retaining here. Everybody knew that Big Match John would walk out with the WWE Championship still around his waist, yet he and Michaels took us all on a ride where we started to believe that maybe Mr. WrestleMania would somehow eke out the victory.

Of course, he didn't, and Super Cena would emerge victorious in this near-30-minute contest. Still, that half-hour journey was a thrill ride, with HBK providing a prime example of why he's one of the best to ever do it, and Cena showing once again that, yes, he can wrestle.

One mild criticism here - and one Shawn himself is said to have had post-match - was how Cena, who had done a great sell job with his leg, seemed to forget all about this worked leg issue for the final segment of the contest.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.